Upset stomach advice please

[Rostor]

My dog has got an upset stomach again, the last five times we have come back from my mum’s for an overnight stay he has had a upset stomach about 24 hours later (lasting about 24 hours)

He is 7 years old cross breed (we think lab/Dalmatian) we got him from a rescue centre as a puppy so not sure of his accurate breeding. He is up to date with health checks, worming, vacs etc and has been ‘done’

The first time the vet said to not feed him for a day, give fresh water and if he is still like it after 3 days then re look at him, I have followed this each time and he is back to normal within a day or two.

He used to go to Mum’s nearly every day for the first 5 years of his life and since then at least once a week for a day or two, the upset stomach has only happened in the last month or so.

Mum’s is a small farm with horses, dogs, cats and chickens which have always been there and he has full contact of all of these. His he fed the same at home and at Mum’s. At home it’s just him, me and OH.

So what could be causing this and what I should do next?

It’s horrible seeing him poorly

Thanks for reading and sorry its long!

 

[Echo24]

Have you changed his feed recently? How is he when he's sick, is he still bright and alert? Or lethargic and quiet?

With vomiting it's generally due to the dog eating something it shouldn't. I know it can be hard but I would ask your mum to keep an eye on your dog at all times to watch if he might be eating something in the garden.

Another possibility is he may have a foreign body and I've known a dog to throw up a big pile of stones before!

The fact you say he's fine after a couple of days makes me think he's probably picked up something from the garden he shouldn't. A test could be to keep him at home for a month and see how he is. If he still gets a bout of vomiting, there could be an underlying problem. If in doubt, take him back to the vet to be on the safe side

 

[Rostor]

Have you changed his feed recently? How is he when he's sick, is he still bright and alert? Or lethargic and quiet?

With vomiting it's generally due to the dog eating something it shouldn't. I know it can be hard but I would ask your mum to keep an eye on your dog at all times to watch if he might be eating something in the garden.

Another possibility is he may have a foreign body and I've known a dog to throw up a big pile of stones before!

The fact you say he's fine after a couple of days makes me think he's probably picked up something from the garden he shouldn't. A test could be to keep him at home for a month and see how he is. If he still gets a bout of vomiting, there could be an underlying problem. If in doubt, take him back to the vet to be on the safe side

Thanks for the reply
No his food is the same and hasn't changed.
Its both ends but more diarrhea (very watery) than vomit and he is lethargic and quiet.

My thought was that he was eating something he shouldn't be and we did keep a extra close eye on him last time. Could horse/chicken poo do this? he loves it but we obviously try and keep him from it!

Keeping him away from there is a good idea, thanks

If it is underlaying could going there trigger it off? and do you think it could be stress related?

I will be speaking to the vet on Monday, would blood test show anything? and shall I keep a stool sample and if so how to keep it fresh/do I need to keep it fresh?

Thanks again

 

[splashgirl45]

i had similar problems with my lurcher, mainly watery poo and feeling poorly. i got the same advice from my vet, no food for 24hrs then chicken or fish and rice for a few days then gradually back to normal food. this went on for a while and i couldnt find out why she had these episodes, i even bought a muzzle in case she was eating something on the walks when she was out of sight......the episodes got more frequent and she had loads of tests and the vet diagnosed colitis and suggested a change to hyperallergenic food...i changed to james wellbeloved turkey and rice kibble and she has been virtually ok for about 18mths........she is 8 and is quite sensitive to noise(thunder,fireworks etc) and vet says that it can be sensitive dogs that suffer from this......i used to work at a yard and she was always eating horse poo with no ill effects but if she gets any now it does affect her quite badly, so maybe yours is the same....

 

[Rostor]

i had similar problems with my lurcher, mainly watery poo and feeling poorly. i got the same advice from my vet, no food for 24hrs then chicken or fish and rice for a few days then gradually back to normal food. this went on for a while and i couldnt find out why she had these episodes, i even bought a muzzle in case she was eating something on the walks when she was out of sight......the episodes got more frequent and she had loads of tests and the vet diagnosed colitis and suggested a change to hyperallergenic food...i changed to james wellbeloved turkey and rice kibble and she has been virtually ok for about 18mths........she is 8 and is quite sensitive to noise(thunder,fireworks etc) and vet says that it can be sensitive dogs that suffer from this......i used to work at a yard and she was always eating horse poo with no ill effects but if she gets any now it does affect her quite badly, so maybe yours is the same....

Thanks Splashgirl45, it does sound very simliar and will talk to the vet about tests and colitis, he is also very sensitive to noise. He was a lot brighter this afternoon but has now crashed out again!

 

[Bean04]

My lab had this for about 12 months and sometimes had blood in his poo too! Each time he would get a jab from the vet, some tablets, (£60) starve him then rice and egg. In the end we finally discovered that he was snacking on some fallen berries in the garden :-( He has been fine ever since we removed the tree Good luck x

 

[Rostor]

My lab had this for about 12 months and sometimes had blood in his poo too! Each time he would get a jab from the vet, some tablets, (£60) starve him then rice and egg. In the end we finally discovered that he was snacking on some fallen berries in the garden :-( He has been fine ever since we removed the tree Good luck x

Thanks Bean04, glad that you found out what it was! No blood in his poo, thank godness but lots of mucus

 

[Echo24]

Generally horse poo and chicken poo doesn't cause upset stomachs and it's quite common for dogs to eat it! I wouldn't worry about blood tests but would certainly do a stool sample, especially as the pup is vomiting and has diarrhoea too. You can usually pick up a tube from the vets to do a sample but check with them. Your dog could have e-coli, giardia or campylobactor, whose symptoms are usually diarrhoea and the fact that there's mucus makes me think something could be underlying. Not trying to make you panic, but some dogs do get it and a course of antibiotics usually clears it up. Just make sure you wash your hands after handling your dog just in case, as it can be passed onto humans!

Keeping the pup from your mum's will hopefully give you an idea if there's something that could be triggering it. You've had the dog a while and he's always been round your mum's so I wouldn't imagine it was stress related. Is the diarrhoea usually at your mum's or when you get home? How is he at your mum's? Generally relaxed, settled and happy? Have you changed anything in terms of routine?

Sorry for so many questions, I work with dogs and fall into the habit of asking lots of questions!

 

[Rostor]

Is the diarrhoea usually at your mum's or when you get home? When we get home normally about 24 hours later How is he at your mum's? Generally relaxed, settled and happy? loves it, running around playing with the oter dogs but lots more exercise than at home Have you changed anything in terms of routine? No nothing

Thanks replying again.


He come out in big hives all over his body yesturday but the diarrhoea had stopped. We went to the vets even though he was fine in him self I was worried.
The vet said that I shouldn't be worried about either the hives or diarrhoea and said he has colitis and has given him sulphasalazine and to keep an eye on him and maybe change his food if it continues and for the hives he has piriton.
The vet doesn't think to two are related.
The hives went down last night but came up again today and he seemed very agitated so I call the vet and they said to take him back tomorrow if he still has them.
He is fine again now

I will try and add some pictures of the hives. They are the size of a golf ball, soft, no redness and most of the time they don't bother him, breathing is fine and they come up as and down within hours in different places all over his body.

Could they be related??

 

[Rostor]

 

[TurtleToo]

The hives look very annoying . It would be a very extreme reaction but if your mother's is far away could it be something different in the water?

 

[Rostor]

The hives look very annoying . It would be a very extreme reaction but if your mother's is far away could it be something different in the water?

Yes the hives are troubling him Mum has a natural spring at her house so it could be something to do with the upset tummy but the hives come out 4 days later, hoping to get the vet to look at him again today as the hives are not going away!

 

[Littlelegs]

Mine has a very sensitive stomach, chappie is the only thing he can eat in decent quantities without getting the runs. With him even eating the trimmings from two hooves can induce vomiting, eating a couple of dropped ice creams in the park gives him the runs, eating (stealing!) more than one carrot, or a handful of chicken pellets etc all set him off. I usually feed him plain rice or pasta for a day or so if he gets the runs. But mainly its just a case of making sure he doesn't get chance to eat stuff he finds. Could it be the same for yours? Mine was a rescue, was originally an emaciated pup so had veterinary care before I had him, & both that vet & my current vet think its nothing more sinister than a side effect of his early life.

 

[splashgirl45]

must be something in the air.....my dog suddenly went down with very runny poo with mucous yesterday morning...she was feeling very poorly....i have a supply of salazopyrin which seems to stop it in its tracks and she seems fine now and enjoying her diet of chicken and rice....

rostor,when i replied to your post she hadnt been ill for about 6 months!!!!! how very odd, as far as i know she hasnt eaten anything strange but she was very stressed the day before as the weather was a bit stormy and she was pacing and trembling.......sorry yours has other problems, perhaps its a reaction to the medication.

 

[Rostor]

Mine has a very sensitive stomach, chappie is the only thing he can eat in decent quantities without getting the runs. With him even eating the trimmings from two hooves can induce vomiting, eating a couple of dropped ice creams in the park gives him the runs, eating (stealing!) more than one carrot, or a handful of chicken pellets etc all set him off. I usually feed him plain rice or pasta for a day or so if he gets the runs. But mainly its just a case of making sure he doesn't get chance to eat stuff he finds. Could it be the same for yours? Mine was a rescue, was originally an emaciated pup so had veterinary care before I had him, & both that vet & my current vet think its nothing more sinister than a side effect of his early life.

Thanks mine too had a bout of vomiting after hoof trimmings last year so try and keep him away from them. He is now on a diet of rice and chicken with the introduction of mix for sensitive dogs, fingers crossed it helps.

 

[Rostor]

must be something in the air.....my dog suddenly went down with very runny poo with mucous yesterday morning...she was feeling very poorly....i have a supply of salazopyrin which seems to stop it in its tracks and she seems fine now and enjoying her diet of chicken and rice....

rostor,when i replied to your post she hadnt been ill for about 6 months!!!!! how very odd, as far as i know she hasnt eaten anything strange but she was very stressed the day before as the weather was a bit stormy and she was pacing and trembling.......sorry yours has other problems, perhaps its a reaction to the medication.

Splahgirl45 sorry to hear about your dog, I hope she is feeling better now.

The hives have now gone and slowly getting back to normal poo's but had another running one today so vet has suggested another food to try and introducing tomorrow, hopefully we will find him a diet that suits.
At least he is still full of beans and enjoying his walks and runs!

Thanks for all the advice everyone